Well it's been some time since we had a 10 Quick interview here on Bleeding Pixels, but we've got a treat for everyone today. Ray Chase, animator on such projects as "Jimmy Neutron," "The Ant Bully," and most recently "The Very First Noel," has graciously agreed to sit down and answer some silly questions for us!
Ray is actually my very first Mentor at AnimationMentor, and so I just couldn't resist hitting him up for an interview. He seems like a great guy, despite an unhealthy obsession with turning his cubicles into pirate ships, but I'll let you judge that for yourself...1.Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you break into the business?My name is Ray Chase and I have been doing character animation for over 7 years. Like many, I grew up on Star Wars and for the longest time I thought that working at a place like ILM, doing FX for films, was what I wanted to do. I had always been interested in animation but never really thought much about it as a career. Then Who framed Roger Rabbit? came out and really inspired me. Right around this time the Disney/MGM Studios opened in Orlando Florida. Seeing these folks actually making the magic was another huge dose of inspiration. At that point I pretty much decided that THAT was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an animator.
From that ureka moment to landing my first big break took a bit longer than I had anticipated. I graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 1993 and started applying for a 2D internship with Disney Feature Animation Fla; at the time computer animation didn't really exist as we know it now. It became clear that while my drawing ability was getting better, I would most likely not cut it as a traditional animator. Then a little movie called Jurassic Park came out followed the next year by another little movie called Toy Story, and almost immediately another avenue opened.
Fortunately after college I did land a job doing animation at a place called FTI Consulting. They did animation and such for people going to court and the like; lots of moving arrows... that sort of thing. The nice thing about FTI was that they didn't have a problem with me working on my own stuff as long as their work was getting done. So I would spend my days working on patent disputes and such and then spend my nights trying to wrap my head around character animation. It took me awhile, because I was mostly figuring it all out on my own, but ever so slowly I started to get better. I had still really wanted to get in at Disney Florida, because I am a big Disney nerd, but ultimately I got hired at this little studio in Texas that nobody had really heard of. In July 2000 I started work on DNA Productions first feature film, Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius.
2. Which of your work are you most proud of?I always tend to think that my work is just "ok". Maybe as artists we are just naturally harder on ourselves I don't know. There are some shots i did on Ant Bully which I think turned out pretty well. A few shots with Lucas sitting on the mushroom talking to Zoc, and some shots of the Head of Council that were reimagined for the final film. I still look at them and feel that they are just "ok" though; I have yet to impress myself. I really rely on the feedback from peers to determine whether a shot was successful or not.
3. What are the main tools and/or programs you use to create your work?As far as animating I work exclusively with Maya. I think its important to point out that the computer really is a tool for the animator. I know people say this a lot but I am still surprised how many folks still don't completely understand what that means. The idea and the art comes from the individual. The computer is just a means for getting those ideas and that art created. For me, animating in the computer is like organic sculpting. I can bend and shape the character to do whatever I want. And if my idea didn’t work and I don’t like the results I can change it. The nice thing about working in CG is that you can keep pushing and pulling on the shot until it’s just the way you want.
4. What's a typical day in your life like?I wake up in the morning and lie in bed staring at the ceiling for a few minutes....oh wait that's probably not what you meant. Most days I will have shots already assigned, so when I get to work I pretty much jump right into my shots. Depending on the stage I am in I could be planning, blocking, or working through the shot towards a final. I try to stay pretty focused during the day because I’m not a big fan of the overtime. I feel that if the production has been planned correctly and that if I am making solid progress each day, there shouldn’t be a need for the OT. I enjoy my job but I want to get home to my family when the day is done.
5. Who or what are some of your artistic influences?I suppose I am influenced more in broad strokes than anything else. I tend to be sort of a sponge in that regard. I feel my mind is a loge of movies, actors, jokes and experiences that I am constantly drawing off of whether consciously or subconsciously. I’m a huge fan of the traditional films that came out of the Disney studio and my work tends to lean more to their kind of natural style. Great animation is always inspiring and makes me want to do better. And there is a lot of really great animation being done right now.
6. Would you say that you're a 3D artist who dabbles in 2D from time to time, or a 2D artist who happens to work in 3D?Interesting question. I was never classicaly trained in 2D so I suppose I am more of a 3D artist trying to incorporate the ideas and principles of 2D. I have wanted to try doing some 2D work just to see what that feels like. Only recently have I started to draw again by getting involved with drawergeeks.com and it feels good. Beyond poorly drawn thumbnails, I haven’t drawn much in the last 6 years, so its fun to rediscover that love of drawing.
7. What are 3 of the best things about your job, and what are 3 of the worst?I'll answer this in more broad terms. The best things about being an animator? Not knowing what's coming next is pretty cool. You can start your week and you know that you will get shots assigned, but you may have no idea what they will be. You know that in a couple weeks you will have completed those shots, you know this, but yet you don't know what these shots will be. Sometimes I think "this time next month I will have done X more shots...I wonder how they will turn out?" It's exciting because there is always this empty canvas sorta sitting there and that makes coming to work, to fill that convas, a fun experience. So that is 1 of the best things. Working with some really great people has been another perk of the job. Animators, I have found, are silly people and I have had the pleasure to work with some really silly folks. Lastly, I would say that what we do as animators really touches the world which sounds a little zen. But when you see kids chatting online about the Neutron show or when my daughter goes on and on about daddy's movie (Ant Bully) you start to realize how what we do, really touches and inspires in ways you never really considered. And that's a good feeling. As for the worst parts of the job. Getting laid off certainly sucks...lol but lets leave it with the good points. I feel warm and fuzzy now and don't want to ruin that buzz.
8. You've worked on a couple of feature films now, a television show and some short films. Is there a format of those three that you prefer, and why? I love working on feature films because you have the time to really craft your performances, to try stuff out and to be able to concentrate on the craft. In television the pace is so crazy you have to really just focus on getting it done; if you can manage to get a good performance great, if not, well...no time to worry about it. It's interesting to look at episodes of the series, to see some of the hundred's of shots (I averaged it out to be around 700+) I did and go "not bad" or most times "ooo that didn't work...nice try though". The thing is, television made me a faster and more efficent animator so, thanks for that television animation. Working on short films or shorter term projects has been fun as well because you get a nice variety since the projects may only be a couple months. Typically you are on a feature for 12 months or more and there were times when I would come to work and go "sigh...I'm tired of ants".
9. How did you wind up working as a Mentor at Animation Mentor? What has your experience been like with the school so far?My good buddy Mike Walling recommended me for the program. I had wanted to get involved with AM for some time because it seemed like such an awesome idea. Learn animation from the people that do animation. I could have used AM back in '93 I tell you that. So yeah I got involved with AM a little over 6 months ago and the experience as been just great. I love doing the live Q&A's because, not only do I love to talk, but I love to talk about animation. It's funny because on a day in, day out basis we never sit around and talk about the art form really. We look at each others shots and give feedback, but never really sit around and discuss the art; we are too busy getting the work done. So for me that is a great aspect of the program to talk with the students about animation. And everyone is so excited to be part of the program and to be learning, that I get totally inspired off of their energy.
10. Tell us a bit about "The Very First Noel." What was your role(s) with the project?The Very First Noel is the very first project that I animated on here at ReelFx. It was written and directed by Carrie and Yarrow Cheney who are not only animators themselves but super awesome to work with. They wanted to go for a style that was remensant of the old Rupolph the Red Nose Reindeer stop motion specials, which was fun because the character were more simple than what I had been used to; there weren’t 50 controls on the face or anything like that. The story is told in the form of a poem, about the three wise men and their following of yonder star. It was a lot of fun and interestingly enough many of my animation buddies from DNA worked on the project as well so that was pretty cool.
Amazing, Super-Awesome, Bonus Question #11
11. What is it like having a gifted artist such as Dave Johnson in your current crop of Student at Animation Mentor? Please use each of the following words in your response, "Amazing, Talented, Genius, and Falafel."
[Editor's Note: The expected response to this question was something along the lines of, "Dave? Yeah... he's about as talented as a Falafel. It's amazing that he considers himself a genius, when he's to a genius what roadkill is to fine dining."]Dave is probably the most amazing and talented student I have ever mentored. Some may even call him a genius...I would say he is falafel, but since I'm not sure what that word means I will choose not to (is that ok Dave..do I get my $10 now)
A big thank you to Mr. Ray Chase for agreeing to answer some questions, despite his busy schedule. If you'd like to see more of his work, get info on "The Very First Noel," and check out his pirate-themed cube, swing on over to his website!
Thanks again, Ray!Ray Chase's Website
